Assemblies and Methods for Directly Connecting Integrated Circuits to Electrically Conductive Sheets

ABSTRACT

An integrated circuit assembly includes a first electrically conductive sheet, a second electrically conductive sheet electrically isolated from the first electrically conductive sheet, a non-conductive material disposed between the first and second electrically conductive sheets, an electrical trace disposed on the non-conductive material and electrically isolated from the first and second electrically conductive sheets, and an integrated circuit having at least one lead directly connected to the first electrically conductive sheet, at least one lead directly connected to the second electrically conductive sheet, and at least one lead electrically connected to the electrical trace. Other integrated circuit assemblies and method for making integrated circuit assemblies are also disclosed.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to integrated circuit assemblies andmethods for directly connecting integrated circuits to electricallyconductive sheets.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Integrated circuits are commonly mounted to circuit boards by insertingleads (sometimes referred to as pins) of the integrated circuit intoholes in the board and soldering the leads to the board. For surfacemount integrated circuits having a fine lead pitch, the leads aretypically soldered to conductive pads on the circuit board. In eithercase, the leads of an integrated circuit are typically connected toother component leads on the board by conductive traces and vias on theouter and/or inner layer(s) of the board.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an integrated circuitassembly includes a first electrically conductive sheet, a secondelectrically conductive sheet electrically isolated from the firstelectrically conductive sheet, a non-conductive material disposedbetween the first and second electrically conductive sheets, anelectrical trace disposed on the non-conductive material andelectrically isolated from the first and second electrically conductivesheets, and an integrated circuit having at least one lead directlyconnected to the first electrically conductive sheet, at least one leaddirectly connected to the second electrically conductive sheet, and atleast one lead electrically connected to the electrical trace.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an integratedcircuit assembly includes a first electrically conductive sheet, asecond electrically conductive sheet electrically isolated from thefirst electrically conductive sheet, a non-conductive material disposedbetween the first and second electrically conductive sheets, aconductive via formed in at least the non-conductive material andelectrically isolated from the first and second electrically conductivesheets, an integrated circuit positioned on a first side of theelectrically conductive sheets and having at least one lead directlyconnected to the first electrically conductive sheet, at least one leaddirectly connected to the second electrically conductive sheet, and atleast one lead electrically connected to the conductive via, a circuitboard positioned on a second side of the electrically conductive sheets,and at least one control circuit disposed on the circuit board andelectrically connected to the conductive via for providing a controlsignal to the integrated circuit.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofmaking an integrated circuit assembly includes disposing anon-conductive material in an opening between first and secondelectrically conductive sheets, plating at least a portion of a firstside of the non-conductive material, removing at least a portion of theplating from the non-conductive material to form an electrical tracedisposed on the non-conductive material and electrically isolated fromthe first and second electrically conductive sheets, and soldering atleast one lead of an integrated circuit directly to each of the firstand second electrically conductive sheets and at least one lead of theintegrated circuit to the electrical trace.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that various aspects of thisdisclosure may be implemented individually or in combination with one ormore other aspects. It should also be understood that the descriptionand specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an integrated circuit assembly according to oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are top and bottom perspective views of an integratedcircuit assembly according to another example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a power converter including theintegrated circuit assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of an integratedcircuit assembly having a multi-layer circuit board according to anotherexample embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top and sectional views of an electricallyconductive sheet according to another example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the electrically conductive sheet of FIG.5 after an opening is filled with a non-conductive material.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the electrically conductive sheet of FIG.6 after removal of excess non-conductive material;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a circuit board coupled to theelectrically conductive sheet of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 8 with holes formedthrough the circuit board, the electrically conductive sheet, and thenon-conductive material.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 9 after the assemblyis plated with an electrically conductive material.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 10 after removal ofa portion of the plating.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known methods, well-knowndevice structures, and well-known technologies are not described indetail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, methods, and operations described herein arenot to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in theparticular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another element,component, region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,”and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence ororder unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed asecond element, component, region, layer or section without departingfrom the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath”, “top”,“bottom”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a circuit assemblyincludes a first electrically conductive sheet, a second electricallyconductive sheet electrically isolated from the first electricallyconductive sheet, a non-conductive material disposed between the firstand second electrically conductive sheets, an electrical trace disposedon the non-conductive material and electrically isolated from the firstand second electrically conductive sheets, and an integrated circuithaving at least one lead directly connected to the first electricallyconductive sheet, at least one lead directly connected to the secondelectrically conductive sheet, and at least one lead electricallyconnected to the electrical trace. Direct connection of the integratedcircuit leads to the electrically conductive sheets can minimizeresistance in the current paths to and from the integrated circuitleads. Additionally, the electrically conductive sheets may dissipateheat generated by current flowing therethrough.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of an integrated circuitassembly 100 incorporating this aspect of the present disclosure. Thecircuit assembly 100 includes electrically conductive sheets 102,104 andnon-conductive material 106 disposed between the electrically conductivesheets 102, 104. The circuit assembly 100 further includes an electricaltrace 108 disposed on the non-conductive material 106. The electricaltrace 108 is electrically isolated from each of the electricallyconductive sheets 102, 104. The circuit assembly 100 also includes anintegrated circuit 110 (shown in phantom, for illustrative purposes)having multiple leads 112-126. Four leads 112, 114, 116, 118 of theintegrated circuit 110 are directly connected to the electricallyconductive sheet 102, and three leads 120, 122, 124 of the integratedcircuit 110 are directly connected to the electrically conductive sheet104. The other lead 126 is electrically connected to the electricaltrace 108.

The integrated circuit 110 may include power transistors such as FETs,BJTs, IGBTs, etc. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit 110 is aMOSFET having a SO-8 fine pitch surface mount package. In that event,the leads 112-118 directly connected to the electrically conductivesheet 102 are drain leads, and the leads 120-124 directly connected tothe electrically conductive sheet 104 are source leads. When voltage isapplied to the other lead 126, i.e., the gate, current flows between thedrain and source leads 112-124 and between the electrically conductivesheets 102, 104. Alternatively, other types of integrated circuits maybe employed in the assembly of FIG. 1, including those having adifferent number of leads and/or a different lead pitch than what isshown in FIG. 1.

The non-conductive material 106 may include a dielectric resin, such asan epoxy resin, etc. The epoxy resin may have a high glass transitiontemperature (Tg), e.g., about 160° C., and a low coefficient of thermalexpansion (CTE), e.g., about 32 ppm/C below glass transition temperatureand about 112 ppm/C above glass transition temperature. Further, theepoxy resin may be platable to permit the electrical trace 108 to beformed directly on the non-conductive material through a platingprocess. Alternatively, other suitable non-conductive materials andconstructions may be employed.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the electrically conductive sheets 102, 104each include a copper core plated with an electrically conductivematerial, e.g., copper, etc. Alternatively, other electricallyconductive materials, such as brass, nickel, tin, aluminum, silver,gold, etc., may be used for the cores and/or plating of the electricallyconductive sheets, and the electrically conductive sheets may be formedin other ways. Further, in some embodiments, the electrically conductivesheets are not plated.

The electrically conductive sheets 102, 104 each have a thickness ofabout 1 millimeter. In this particular embodiment, the about 1millimeter thicknesses permit each lead of the integrated circuit 110directly connected to one of the electrically conductive sheets 102, 104to conduct up to about 10 amps, without a significant increase intemperature. The thickness, surface area and/or volume of theelectrically conductive sheets may be selected based on the expectedcurrent flow or other considerations. In various embodiments, theelectrically conductive sheets have thicknesses of about 0.5millimeters, about 1.5 millimeters, about 2 millimeters, about 2.5millimeters, and about 5 millimeters. It should be understood, however,that other thicknesses can and will be used in other embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1, lead 126 of the integrated circuit 110 is connectedto the electrical trace 108. Current flow through the integrated circuit110 may depend on a control signal applied to the lead 126 by a controlcircuit. The control circuit may be disposed on the same or differentside of the circuit assembly 100 as the integrated circuit 110, andelectrically connected to the trace 108. Alternatively, the controlcircuit may be located on a different assembly, with the control signalsupplied to the circuit assembly 100 through, e.g., a connector.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a circuit assembly 200 according to anotherexample embodiment. The circuit assembly 200 includes two integratedcircuits 202, 204 with leads directly connected to two electricallyconductive sheets 208, 210 on a top side of the assembly (shown in FIG.2A), and a circuit board 206 on a bottom side of the assembly (shown inFIG. 2B). This example assembly 200 can function as a busbar for highcurrent applications, a heat sink to dissipate heat generated along thehigh current path(s), and a control circuit board for controlling one ormore integrated circuits in the current path(s). Further, the ability tofunction as a heat sink may reduce or eliminate any need for an externalheat sink (such as the heat sinks that are often coupled to busbars inthe prior art).

The circuit assembly 200 includes the two electrically conductive sheets208, 210 separated by a non-conductive material 212. Electrical traces214, 216 are disposed on the non-conductive material 212. Each trace214, 216 includes a conductive via 218, 220 formed in the non-conductivematerial 212, between the top side and the bottom side of the circuitassembly 200. The circuit board 206 includes multiple control components222, which provide control signals to one or both integrated circuits202, 204. Each conductive via 218, 220 provides the control signal fromthe circuit board 206 to a lead of each integrated circuit 202, 204electrically connected to the electrical traces 214, 216, respectively.When a circuit assembly includes multiple integrated circuits, such asshown in FIG. 2, a circuit board may provide the same control signal toeach integrated circuit, or provide different control signals to theintegrated circuits such that, e.g., one integrated circuit may be “on”while the other integrated circuit is “off.” In the example of FIG. 2,the control signals are provided from the bottom side (layer) of theassembly 200 to the top side (layer) of the assembly through theconductive vias.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the assembly 200 may include additional conductivevias 224, 226 for other purposes, such as coupling the circuit board tothe voltages and/or currents present in one or both of the electricallyconductive sheets.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the electrically conductive sheet 208 defines twoinput terminals 228 for coupling the circuit assembly 200 to a powersource. Similarly, the electrically conductive sheet 210 defines anoutput terminal 230 for coupling the circuit assembly 200 to a load. Asshould be apparent, the number, shape and position of the input andoutput terminals may vary in any given implementation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit assembly 200 may be included in a powerconverter 300. The power converter 300 includes receptacles forreceiving the terminals 228, 230 of the circuit assembly 200. The powerconverter 300 may employ a forward converter or other suitable topology.Alternatively, the circuit assembly 200 of FIG. 2, and circuitassemblies according to other embodiments of this disclosure, may beemployed in a wide variety of other devices and systems, in addition topower converters.

In the example of FIG. 2, the circuit board 206 is a double-sided boardwith a single insulation layer. Alternatively, circuit boards havinginner conductive layers can also be used. One example of an integratedcircuit assembly 400 employing such a circuit board is shown in FIG. 4.As shown, the assembly 400 includes a circuit board having multipleinsulation layers 402 and multiple circuit layers 404 (including aninner insulation layer and an inner circuit layer).

One example method of making an integrated circuit assembly will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 5-11. It should be understood,however, that integrated circuit assemblies, including those describedabove, can be formed by many other methods. Similarly, the examplemethod described below can be used to make a wide variety of integratedcircuit assemblies other than (or in addition to) the integrated circuitassemblies described above.

The example method of making an integrated circuit assembly includespositioning a non-conductive material in an opening defined by one ormore electrically conductive sheets, forming an electrical trace on atleast a portion of the non-conductive material, and soldering at leastfirst and second leads of an integrated circuit directly to theelectrically conductive sheet and the electrical trace, respectively.The method may further include, if necessary or desirably, coupling acircuit board to a bottom side of the electrically conductive plate,possibly with a control circuit for providing control signals to theintegrated circuit lead connected to the electrical trace.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate one example of an electrically conductivesheet 500 defining an opening 502 therein. As will be appreciated, theopening 502 can have any suitable size and shape, including non-circularand non-rectangular shapes. In the example of FIG. 5, the opening 502 issubstantially L-shaped, and has an end that extends to a side edge ofthe electrically conductive sheet 500. The opening 502 can be formed byany suitable process including stamping, routing, cutting, drilling,etc. In some embodiments, the conductive sheet 500 is a solid coppersheet.

FIG. 6 illustrates the electrically conductive sheet 500 after anon-conductive material 504 is positioned in the opening 502. In theexample of FIG. 6, the non-conductive material 504 fills the opening 502to excess, such that some material 504 extends above a top edge of theopening 502. Alternatively, the non-conductive material 504 may bepositioned in the opening 502 flush with the top edge (and bottom edge,if desired) of the opening.

FIG. 7 illustrates the conductive sheet 500 after the non-conductivematerial 504 is optionally planarized, so the non-conductive material504 is flush with a top edge of the opening 502.

FIG. 8 illustrates the conductive sheet 500 of FIG. 7 with a circuitboard 506 coupled to a bottom side of the conductive sheet 500. Thecircuit board 506 may be coupled to the conductive sheet 500 by, e.g.,laminating one or more insulation layers of pre-impregnated compositefiber 520 and one or more circuit layers of foil 522 over each layer ofcomposite fiber. Alternatively, the circuit board 506 may be separatelyformed and then coupled to the conductive sheet 500 using any suitableprocess.

The method may also include forming conductive vias in the assembly. Forexample, FIG. 9 shows the assembly of FIG. 8 after holes 508, 510 areformed in the electrically conductive sheet 500, the non-conductivematerial 504 and the circuit board 506 using any suitable process suchas drilling. The method may further include plating (e.g., with copper)at least a portion of the exposed surfaces of the electricallyconductive sheet 500 and the non-conductive material 504, including theholes 508, 510. The plating may be limited to a top side, bottom side,or a portion of one or more sides. FIG. 10 illustrates the assembly ofFIG. 9 after the top side of the assembly and the holes 508, 510 areplated with an electrically conductive material. In the example of FIG.10, the plating is directly over and in direct contact with thenon-conductive material 504 in the holes 508, 510.

FIG. 11 illustrates the assembly of FIG. 10 after some of the plating512 is removed (e.g., by etching and/or stripping) from thenon-conductive material 504 to form an electrical trace 514 disposed onthe non-conductive material 504. The electrical trace 514 iselectrically isolated from the electrically conductive sheet 500. FIG.11 also illustrates one or more traces 516 formed on the circuit board506 by removing some of the plating 512 from the circuit board 506.

The method may also include removing a portion 518 (shown in FIG. 5A) ofthe conductive sheet to essentially divide the electrically conductivesheet 500 into two conductive sheets 500A, 500B that are electricallyisolated from one another. This may be done after removing the plating512, so portion 518 can provide support during the assembly process.Alternatively, portion 518 may be removed (including well before)removing the plating 512. As another alternative, two electricallyconductive sheets can be provided at the outset of the assembly process(in lieu of the single conductive sheet 500). The two conductive sheetscan be arranged to define an opening therebetween. The opening can thenbe filled with a non-conductive material and further processed asdescribed above.

Referring to FIG. 11, the plated holes 508, 510 form conductive vias forproviding electrical conductivity between the top and bottom sides ofthe electrically conductive sheets and/or non-conductive material.Specifically, hole 510 forms a conductive via between an electricaltrace 514 disposed on the non-conductive material 504 on the top side ofthe circuit assembly and a trace 516 included in the circuit board 506on the bottom side.

The method may further include soldering at least one lead of anintegrated circuit directly to the electrically conductive sheet 500 (or500A) and another lead of the integrated circuit to the electrical trace514. A third lead of the integrated circuit may be soldered to theelectrically conductive sheet 500B. Further, a control circuit may bemounted on the circuit board and electrically connected to one of theleads of the integrated circuit by a conductive via. In this manner, thecontrol circuit on one side of the assembly may be used to control anintegrated circuit on another side of the assembly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features ofa particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

1. An integrated circuit assembly comprising: a first electricallyconductive sheet; a second electrically conductive sheet electricallyisolated from the first electrically conductive sheet; a non-conductivematerial disposed between the first and second electrically conductivesheets; an electrical trace disposed on the non-conductive material andelectrically isolated from the first and second electrically conductivesheets; and an integrated circuit having at least one lead directlyconnected to the first electrically conductive sheet, at least one leaddirectly connected to the second electrically conductive sheet, and atleast one lead electrically connected to the electrical trace.
 2. Thecircuit assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second electricallyconductive sheets each include a copper core plated with an electricallyconductive material.
 3. The circuit assembly of claim 1, wherein thefirst electrically conductive sheet defines at least one input terminalfor coupling the circuit assembly to a power source.
 4. The circuitassembly of claim 3, wherein the second electrically conductive sheetdefines at least one output terminal for coupling the circuit assemblyto a load such that, when the integrated circuit is active, a currentpath is formed through the first electrically conductive sheet includingthe input terminal, the integrated circuit, and the second electricallyconductive sheet including the output terminal.
 5. The circuit assemblyof claim 4, wherein the first and second electrically conductive sheetsare adapted to radiate heat generated by current flow through thecurrent path.
 6. The circuit assembly of claim 4, wherein thenon-conductive material separates and electrically isolates the firstelectrically conductive sheet from the second electrically conductivesheet.
 7. The circuit assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-conductivematerial includes a dielectric resin.
 8. The circuit assembly of claim1, wherein the first and second electrically conductive sheets each havea thickness of at least about 0.5 millimeter.
 9. The circuit assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising a control circuit for controlling theintegrated circuit, the control circuit electrically connected to theelectrical trace.
 10. An integrated circuit assembly comprising: a firstelectrically conductive sheet; a second electrically conductive sheetelectrically isolated from the first electrically conductive sheet; anon-conductive material disposed between the first and secondelectrically conductive sheets; a conductive via formed in at least thenon-conductive material and electrically isolated from the first andsecond electrically conductive sheets; an integrated circuit positionedon a first side of the electrically conductive sheets and having atleast one lead directly connected to the first electrically conductivesheet, at least one lead directly connected to the second electricallyconductive sheet, and at least one lead electrically connected to theconductive via; a circuit board positioned on a second side of theelectrically conductive sheets; and at least one control circuitdisposed on the circuit board and electrically connected to theconductive via for providing a control signal to the integrated circuit.11. The circuit assembly of claim 10, wherein the integrated circuitincludes a surface-mount power device, and wherein the control circuitis adapted to control the surface-mount power device to control currentflow between the first electrically conductive sheet and the secondelectrically conductive sheet.
 12. The circuit assembly of claim 11,wherein the first electrically conductive sheet defines at least oneterminal for coupling the circuit assembly to a power source and thesecond electrically conductive sheet defines at least one terminal forcoupling the circuit assembly to a load.
 13. A power convertercomprising the circuit assembly of claim
 12. 14. The circuit assembly ofclaim 12, wherein the circuit board includes multiple insulated layersand multiple trace layers.
 15. The circuit assembly of claim 12, whereinthe first and second electrically conductive sheets each have athickness of at least about 0.5 millimeter.
 16. A method of making anintegrated circuit assembly, the method comprising: positioning anon-conductive material in an opening defined by one or moreelectrically conductive sheets; forming an electrical trace on at leasta portion of the non-conductive material; and soldering at least firstand second leads of an integrated circuit directly to said oneelectrically conductive sheet and the electrical trace, respectively.17. The method of claim 16 wherein soldering includes soldering a thirdlead of the integrated circuit to a second electrically conductive sheetthat is electrically isolated from said one electrically conductivesheet and the electrical trace.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein theintegrated circuit is positioned on a first side of said oneelectrically conductive sheet, the method further comprising coupling acircuit board to a second side of said one electrically conductivesheet.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising forming a viathrough the non-conductive material to electrically connect theelectrical trace on the non-conductive material to at least one trace ofthe circuit board.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprisingmounting a circuit element to the circuit board with the circuit elementelectrically connected to the second lead of the integrated circuitthrough the electrical trace on the non-conductive material, the via,and said one trace of the circuit board.